Paper twisting machine



Aug. 18, 1936. L. F. BARNUM PAPER -TWISTING MACHINE Filed May 5l, 1934 2 SheetS4Shee'b 1 lNvEN-ron Aug. 1s, 1936. L. F. BARNUM 2,051,674

PAPER TwIsTING MACHINE Filed May 5l, 1934 2 'Sheets-Sheet 2 Y I\ BY Y l o N'w Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT `oir-.ries

2,051,674 PAPER TWISTING MACHINE Leslie F. Barnum,V Detroit, Mich. Application May 31, 1934, Serial No. 728,231

4 Claims.

rolls to form them into ropes or cords. Each ribbon is formed into a rope independently of all the other ribbons and accordingly the machine is capable of forming a plurality of ropes at one time. By varying the width of the ribbon the A cross sectional area of the finished rope may be varied and therefore it is possible to form at one time ropes having different cross sectional areas.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel tensioning means for drawing the paper ribbon through the-twisting element and Yin this connection spools for receiving the nished products are driven in a manner to cause the ropes to frictionally engage tensioning rolls which are also rotated. The particular arrangement, as will hereinafter appear, is such as to permit a certain amount of slippage between the rope and tensioning means in order that an excessive amount of tension cannot be built up in a manner to interfere with the twisting elements.

With the above objects in mind reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a top plan;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical cross section; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section of a detail.

The numeral I designates a supporting frame upon which elongated spindles 2 are rotatably mounted` by bearings 3. Each spindle 2, as more clearly shown in Fig. 2, is hollow, and atone end is provided with an enlargement or drum 4. At its opposite end the spindle has a head 5 to which a strap member 6 is secured to support a die member l. As shown in Fig. 4 the die member I has a screwthreaded nipple 8 extending through an opening 9 in the strap 6 and secured in this relation by a nut I0. The die member 6 has an axial opening extending therethrough and `flareshaped at its entering end as-vdesignated at I2.

With reference to Fig. 1 it will be observed that the spindles are arranged so that alternate spindles are oppositely disposed, although the axes of the spindles areparallel and in the same horizontal plane. That is to say, the spindlesare `so arranged that the drum 4 on onev spindle is disposed on one side of the frame I while the drum 4 on the next adjacent spindle is disposed on the opposite side of the frame. The purpose of this arrangement is to accommodate spools v and driving means therefor in a manner to be described.

Each spindle 2 has a pulley I3 loosely mounted thereon and adjacent to the -pulley I3 is keyed f another pulley I4 `of Athe same diameter. In order to rotate the spindle 2 a belt (not shown) driven by a suitable power source is looped under the pulley |4. The drive elements have not been shown because they'are well known in the art and i.

it is contemplated that a suitable belt shifter will be used to move the belt from the pulley I4 to the pulley |3-in order that the drive connection between the'belt and the .spindle be severed.

Approximatelyl midway between opposed pairs of spindles 2 are provided shafts I5, located in a horizontal plane beneath the plane of the spindles 2 and with their axes parallel thereto, and with their ends extending beyond the sides of the frame The shafts I 5: each have aV pair of spaced apart pulleys lli'lcosely mounted thereon and drums Il are received on the ends of the shafts I5 and each drum is clampedinto frictional engagement with apulley Il by securing element |8. It is obvious that the faces of the pulleys I6 and drums Il WllCh Contact in this manner may be roughened in'order to provide good frictional engagement. i y

In this manner a spool is provided. for each spindle and each spool is driven by the spindle which it is associated with. The means for driving the spools consists of a pulley E9 keyed to the spindle 2 andconnected by a belt 28 to a pulley 2| on a rotatable jack shaft 22. On the jack Ashaft 22 is a spur gear 23 meshing with a gear 24 on another shaft v25 upon which is keyed a pulley 26. A belt 2l connects the pulley 26 to the adjacent pulley I6 and it Willbe noted that the belt 2'I is comparatively narrow so as to have but a small frictionalengagement with the pulleys 26 and I6. On the outer extremity of the shaft 25 is keyed a, sheave 28.

Secured adjacent to opposite ends of the frame I areV guide rods 29 receiving loop members 38 which are secured to opposite ends of an elongated bar 3|. -Thus the bar 3| is supported so that it may move transversely relative to the frame I. `A plurality of arms 32 are secured to the bar 3| to extend laterallytherefrom the arms being sofarranged that one is disposed adjacent to each spool I 1. The outer extremity Voi" each arm is formed with a loop 33.

Rotatably journalled in the framev I are a pair of oppositely threaded screws 34, that is tosay, each of the screws has a left hand aswell asa right hand thread. Travellers 35 Yare carried by the bar 3| and extend into the grooves in the screws 34 and each screw hasa worm gear 36 meshing with a Vworm 3l on a shaft 38 carrying y a pulley 39 to which a belt may be connected for the purpose of driving the same. When the screws 34 are rotated the travellers 35 are caused to follow the right hand thread until they are moved to the extreme right hand end at which time they follow the left hand thread to the left hand side of the device. Thus the bar 3| is caused to reciprocate from one side to the other of the frame I.

A roll of paper ribbon is designated at 39 as received in each drum. In order to secure the roll in place the rolls are made slightly larger than the internal diameter of the drums and they are ham- 'j mered into place by blows from a heavy instrument such as a metal bar. The ribbon is unwound from the center of the roll and is threaded through the spindle 2 which is caused to be rotated at a high rate of speed so that when the ribbon extends through the head 5 it is in a twisted condition. After the ribbon leaves the head 5 it is passed through the die I which compresses it into a rope 40. The rope 40 is trained over a sheave 4| mounted on the frame I and extends downwardly therefrom to the sheave 28 around which it is looped. From the sheave 28 the rope extends through the loop 33 in an arm 32 and is wound around the spool I'I.

It is apparent that a certain minimum tension must be placed on the rope in order to draw it through the die I. Inasmuch as the shaft 25 and sheave 28 rotate constantly with the spindle 2 the sheave 28 provides the required tension due to the fact that the bight formed by looping the rope 40 therearcund is held tight by the spool II which is also rotated. slippage may be permitted between the bight and the sheave 28 and between the pulley I6 and spool so that the rope may be properly tensioned without causing it to move at a rate of speed which might prevent the proper formation of the rope.

The bar 3| with the arms 32 act as a level winding device to prevent the rope from becoming bunched at any one part of the spools.

It is apparent that, as the rope becomes wound around the drum, the diameter of the winding increases and results in a greater length of rope being wound around the drum with each revolution. This ordinarily would tend to increase the rate of movement of the rope and thus would cause the ribbon to be more rapidly pulled through the twisting spindle. The rate of movement of the rope is dependent upon the rate of movement of the sheave 28 as well as the tension of the rope on both sides of the sheave. Inasmuch as the belt 21 and pulleys I6 and 26 are so arranged to permit slippage a different rate of movement of the two pulleys is possible, and a constant tension on the rope 4I! above the sheave 28 is made possible.

Importance is attached to the manner of inserting the ribbon rolls by hammering them into place inasmuch as it provides for a smooth, even exterior for the drums. The absence of clamping elements or external devices for securing the ribbons in the drums provides for smooth, even rotation and makes it possible to operate the device at very high speeds with safety.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it is to be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such changes are contemplated.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a pair of oppositely disposed rotatable spindles adapted to independently twist a pair of paper ribbons, a die member associated with each spindle and adapted to form said paper ribbon into a rope, a shaft having a pair of spaced apart pulleys thereon, spools loosely received on said shaft, means for clamping each of said spools into frictional engagement with one of said pulleys, a sheave associated with each pulley, a driving connection between each of said sheaves and one of said pulleys, and a driving connection between each said spindles and one of said sheaves, said sheaves each being adapted to have a bight formed in the rope around the same so that the winding of said rope on said spool tightens said bight into frictional engagement with a sheave to provide sufficient tension to draw said twisted paper through said die member.

2. In a device of the character described, a pair of oppositely disposed rotatable spindles adapted to independently twist a pair of paper ribbons, a die member associated with each spindle and adapted to form said paper ribbon into a rope, a shaft having a pair of spaced apart pulleys thereon, spools loosely received on said shaft, means for clamping each of said spools into frictional engagement with one of said pulleys, a sheave associated with each pulley, a driving connection between each of said sheaves and one of said pulleys, a driving connection between each of said spindles and one of said sheaves, said sheaves each being adapted to have a bight formed in the rope around the same so that the winding of said rope on said spool tightens said bight into frictional engagement with a sheave to provide sufficient tension to draw said twisted paper through said die member, and a level Winding device common to both of said spools.

3. In a device of the character described, a pair of oppositely disposed rotatable spindles adapted to independently twist a pair of paper ribbons, a die member associated with each spindle and adaped to form said paper ribbon into a rope, a'

shaft having a pair of spaced apart pulleys thereon, spools loosely received on said shaft, means for clamping each of said spools into frictional engagement with one of said pulleys, a sheave associated with each pulley, a driving connection between each of said sheaves and one of said pulleys and adapted to permit slippage so that said sheave and spool may rotate at different relative speeds, and a driving connection between each said spindles and one of said sheaves, said sheaves each being adapted to have a bight formed in the rope around the same so that the winding of said rope on said spool tightens said bight into frictional engagement with a sheave to provide suicient tension to draw said twisted paper through said die member.

4. In a device of the character described, a spindle adapted to be rotated at a high rate of speed, said spindle having a co-axial drum in- -tegral therewith, said drum having an unyielding rim portion, a ribbon roll of normally greater diameter than the internal diameter of the rim portion of said drum, said roll being inserted in the unyielding rim portion of said drum by forcing the roll thereinto whereby the compression thereof provides for equal distribution of the weight thereof and sets up radial pressure causing it to tightly engage said drum, and means for unwinding said ribbon from the center of said roll and for drawing it through said spindle.

LESLIE F. BARNUM. 

